Jess Kroll

Jess Kroll has spent years traveling the world, writing books, performing poetry, teaching, playing D&D, and occasionally discussing movies for Pop Mythology. His novels include 'Land of Smiles' from Monsoon Books and young adult series 'The One' and 'Werewolf Council' from Epic Press. He can put his foot behind his head.

Jay-Z’s 'Magna Carta Holy Grail' is the exact opposite of a sellout album; it sounds like every other Jay-Z album. It may as well have come out in 2003. Samsung didn’t make Jay-Z sacrifice his integrity anymore than those previous endorsement deals did. No, Jay-Z sold out years ago.

It’s hard to look at the Comic Con coverage and not feel like some small part of comic book culture is gone now. This refuge of pure geekdom, which only the most fanatical were willing to spend their money and time to attend, is no more - at least not the way it used to be. Even if it was only a fantasy to begin with, it gave us hope, once.

In a summer where most of the big, event movies have been overly cheerless, 'Pacific Rim' arrives like a titan to defend moviegoers from the gloom of monster blockbusters. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the strength to prevent a' barrage of clichés from beating it down.

Movies featuring bowling are extraordinarily rare. Sadly, the majority of bowling movies are lowbrow comedies such as 'King Ralph' or 'She’s Out of My League,' limited-appeal documentaries like 'League of Ordinary Gentlemen,' or whatever the hell 'Sorority Babes in Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama' is. Still, there are some that not only feature this great sport but are also great films.

Terrence Malick's 'Badlands,' in many ways, feels like the movie that Quentin Tarantino has spent his entire career trying to make. It
is an astonishingly confident effort by a first time filmmaker, and one that remains a touchstone for others even decades later.

Once the limitations and quirks of 'Much Ado About Nothing' are accepted, the film’s strengths become abundantly clear. Even within the limitations of a micro-budget and dated dialogue there’s a tremendous feeling of playfulness and freedom within the film.

'World War Z' has the star, the budget, the scope; all it needs is a smarter script and the will to be better. Done correctly, zombie movies don’t need ripped throats and smashed heads to be good, but they do need guts and brains.

Sure, the effects aren’t that great, and the ethics of the movie are questionable at best, but the Apatow crew has never been accused of particularly high quality, socially uplifting humor. That doesn’t make 'This is the End' any less funny in a thoroughly disgusting way.

Jess Kroll June 7, 2013MusicComments Off on Cael Anton – The Architect Becomes a Tree

While people who prefer their music as predictable background noise may find the shifts in 'The Architect Becomes a Tree' unsettling, those who appreciate growth and progression in their music will find a lot to enjoy with successive plays.

If 'Side Effects' is indeed Stephen Soderbergh’s final film (please, no!) he goes out in a predictably unpredictable manner. The auteur's finale, like that of this film, comes well before its welcome is worn.